Shloka 14
धृतराष्ट्रस्य सत्कारः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Honored in the Post-war Court
व्यासश्न भगवान् नित्यमासांचक्रे नृपेण ह । कथा: कुर्वन् पुराणर्षिदिवर्षिपित्रक्षसाम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | vyāsaś ca bhagavān nityam āsāṃ cakre nṛpeṇa ha | kathāḥ kurvan purāṇarṣidevarṣipitṛrakṣasām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The venerable Vyāsa would regularly come and sit with the king. In order to steady his mind and guide him toward a life of restraint, he would recount ancient narratives concerning the seers of old, the divine sages, the Pitṛs (ancestral spirits), and the Rākṣasas—stories that place human suffering within a wider moral and cosmic order.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A grief-stricken ruler is steadied through sacred and ancient narratives: remembering the wider moral universe (ṛṣis, ancestors, and other beings) helps reorient the mind from personal loss toward dharma, restraint, and long-term spiritual welfare.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Vyāsa regularly comes to the king and sits with him, recounting traditional stories about ancient sages, divine sages, the Pitṛs, and Rākṣasas—serving as guidance and consolation in the Ashramavāsika setting.